KARACHI, Aug 05 (APP): In a simple yet impressive ceremony held at PN Dockyard Karachi, Pakistan Navy decommissioned the last Type-21 Class Ship PNS TARIQ that remained in active service of the Pakistan Navy for 30 years.
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the chief guest at the ceremony.
Upon arrival, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was received by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, said a Pakistan Navy news release issued here on Saturday.
While addressing a special ceremony, the chief guest acknowledged the meritorious service of the ship towards the defense of the motherland over the last three decades.
He admired the daring Search & Rescue Mission undertaken by PNS TARIQ in the Maldives during the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2005 rescuing the precious lives of 377 tourists of various nationalities, a feat acknowledged at the international level.
He paid rich tribute to the ship’s crew for maintaining the ship in an optimum operational state till the very end. He hailed the planned disposal of the ship as a static museum exhibit in the UK, showcasing the maritime heritage of the Royal Navy as well as the Pakistan Navy.
PNS TARIQ was inducted into Pakistan Navy in 1993 in a ceremony graced by the then Prime Minister, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto as chief guest and was finally decommissioned by her son after 30 years of service.
During almost three decades of illustrious service in the Pakistan Navy, the ship logged about twenty thousand hours at sea and travelled more than One Million nautical miles distance.
Before the formal phasing out of the iconic ship, Pakistan Navy on August 2 launched the indigenously built MILGEM Class ship, bearing the same name ‘TARIQ, as a milestone achievement to carry on the legacy of the valiant ship.
The ceremony was attended by civil and military dignitaries including Ex-commanding officers and the commissioning crew of PNS TARIQ.